A Native American tribe's plan to build a $25 million casino in the Oklahoma Panhandle hundreds of miles from the tribe's headquarters has prompted a state senator to question whether tribal gambling should be allowed in areas that have no historical tribal connections.

The federal government has awarded nearly $60 million in grants to more than 90 tribal communities across the nation, including 15 in Alaska, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro announced Monday in Anchorage.